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Volkswagen Polo R

We may have to wait a while for Volkswagen to release a Polo R – in fact it may never reach American showrooms at all – but as a stopgap measure VW has released a pair of R-Line packages for its diminutive hatchback that at least make it look the part.

Volkswagen announced earlier this year that it would be entering the World Rally Championship starting in 2013 with the Polo R, and we got our first glimpse of the race car here in Frankfurt. While it's easy to see the similarities to the road version, the Polo R WRC has been transformed into an all-out rally car with widened fenders, a fully stripped and caged interior, and plenty of carbon fiber on the body. Under the hood is a race-prepped version of Volkswagen's 1.6-liter STI engine producin